


Lexicon of two tongues

by margrave



Category: DBSK, Dong Bang Shin Ki, K-pop, TVXQ
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-22
Updated: 2011-07-22
Packaged: 2017-10-21 15:38:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/226791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margrave/pseuds/margrave
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Recently Changmin thinks more often in Japanese.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lexicon of two tongues

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in 2008 when it seemed DBSK would never end, that they were going to take over the world. So, before the law suit, before the heart-ache, when the world was almost at their feet. That is to say, it is a tiny fic that captures a particular feel in time. I don't think I can write this now.

Recently Changmin thinks more often in Japanese. He dreams in the foreign tongue, the sounds sharper and harsher. He writes lyrics in _hiragana_ , _katakana_ and snatches of _kanji_ , and catches himself speaking in Japanese when he should have spoken in Korean.

The first time he slips into Japanese he doesn't realise it until the silence reaches him, his family looking at him with blank faces. He apologises for his mistake; his mother smiles quietly and moves on with the conversation, asking him if he was hungry.

After, he takes more notice; he yells when he manages to clear a level in one of JunSu's game, proclaiming his victory loudly and christening himself 'Changmin-sama'. JunSu yells back about his prowess as the King of all video games, and challenges Changmin to a match of Epic Proportions. They slip in and out of Korean and Japanese amongst loud shouts of triumph and despair as their pixelated characters meets unfortunate ends.

He and YooChun scribble hiragana all over each other's compositions: corrections, congratulations and little put-downs, and write over each other's lyrics; half in _hiragana_ , half in _Hangeul_ , and bits of _hanja/kanji_ thrown into the mix. Later they read their scribbles aloud in Korean and Japanese, trying to remember the meanings they were aiming for. Half of the time they just make up new lyrics as their layers of characters become text of a long forgotten language.

JaeJoong slides into _Kansai_ dialect in the middle of conversations with Changmin, trying out new words, manipulating his tongue until he can get the sounds just right. Changmin waits until JaeJoong finishes and then mercilessly corrects JaeJoong's errors, praising himself as a genius and mocking JaeJoong's attempts at scholarly activities. It often dissolves into uncontrollable laughter and hands slapping against shoulders.

Changmin sometimes still forgets words in Korean and Japanese. The first time it happened, Changmin's mind went frighteningly blank, words, grammar, sentence structure escaping him like water through a sieve. YunHo sat next to him, quietly talking to him until the words flowed back into Changmin's mind, static to sounds then to individual words. Changmin still can't remember what language YunHo had been speaking in.

The first time he called them without saying _hyung_ it was an accident; YooChun had smiled and then went off to laugh with JunSu about some new scheme the two were cooking up. JaeJoong had gone on a tangent about maturity and how it had to be the extra muscle training. JunSu had despaired at the lack of respect he was receiving before being dragged back by YooChun whispering into his ear. YunHo had stood by silently looking at all of them with some bemusement before attempting to restore order to their household.

After the second and the third time with no discernable response at the lack of hyung, Changmin stops saying it altogether, letting their names roll off his tongue, something that's not tied down to obligation or honour.

The five of them slip between two tongues with ease; sentences stringed along in a mix of Japanese and Korean, writings in a composition of different characters. They create a rhythm of their own, a private language that is sure and intimate.

\- endo -


End file.
